Pueblo Feast Days

a guide to respectful etiquette and summer schedule

Welcome to Postcards from New Mexico!
Two Sundays a month, I share beauty, stories, and culture from this region that has been my home since 2008.

Please consider becoming a paid subscriber and receive the following benefits:
• A real live snail-mail postcard from New Mexico!
• A beautiful e-book: 10 Hidden Gems of Northern New Mexico
• Access to the “If you go/Local’s tips” section of certain posts where you’ll find valuable information to enhance your next journey to Northern New Mexico
• A portion of your subscription is donated to Native-led nonprofits doing good work in this region

photo from Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh website

A note about the photo and artwork used in this post: As you will read in the etiquette tips below, photography and video are strictly prohibited during feast days. While I wanted to include images with this post to give you a visual sense of feast days, I also wanted to honor that boundary. The photo above comes from the Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh. The artwork below is in the public domain from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The artist, William Penhallow Henderson, honored the ban at that time on sketching or photographing feast days. As the Smithsonian website notes, “Henderson would observe them, often from horseback, and then return to his studio and paint from memory.” I felt that both images respect the spirit of the boundary.

---

The heat of summer and monsoons of July create the perfect conditions for an abundance of crops this time of year in Northern New Mexico – especially maize, corn, one of the most revered plants of our area.

Summer also brings an abundance of Pueblo feast days, occasions for tribes to come together in gratitude for crops and the rains that bring them, and to honor spiritual traditions. The tradition of the feast day reflects the unique intersection of Indigenous people and the Spanish who arrived in what is now called New Mexico the 1500s, bringing Catholicism. The conquistadors and Franciscan missionaries jointly carried out the brutal work of colonization and conversion, and each Pueblo was given a Spanish name and patron saint. While indeed there was much violence in the process, there was also a way in which the Pueblo people blended Catholic beliefs and practices into their own spiritual traditions, which continues to this day. Pueblos are reclaiming their languages and practices – for example, San Juan Pueblo is now called by its Tewa name, Ohkay Owingeh – but this syncretic blending lives on in the feast days.

Feast days generally begin with a mass in honor of the saint the Pueblo is named for, and include beautiful dances that tribal members have practiced for many days. Families cook many dishes to be offered in their homes to invited guests, and there are often vendors on the roads leading into the plaza of the Pueblo, selling art and other wares. The mood is festive and the vibe is elevated. It’s an amazing experience, and if you happen to be in the area when a feast day is happening, I highly encourage you to go.

William Penhallow Henderson, Feast Day: San Juan Pueblo, ca. 1921, oil on canvas, 22 x 30 in. (55.9 x 76.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alice H. Rossin in memory of Dr. Joshua C. Taylor, 1982.3

Pueblo people are extraordinarily warm and generous in sharing the tradition of feast day. The Pueblos are open to the public on these days and non-Native people are welcome to come and participate. If you visit a Pueblo for a feast day, here are a few important things to remember:

• Above all, come with respect. Those of us who are non-Native and particularly of European descent likely have some unconscious beliefs and assumptions related to Indigenous people, and these often include a sense of entitlement and a need to know. We may have the best intentions, and yet these unconscious assumptions are still there.

• Remember when you there you are in a place where people actually live — Pueblos are not just historic sites. Don’t walk into a home unless you are invited, don’t walk across a plaza when dances are happening, and in general put yourself in the mindset that you are a visitor and consider what you’d want people to do (or not do) when visiting your neighborhood.

• The dances that take place during feast days are not entertainment. They are prayers, they are part of a larger ceremony that is carried out with the intention of staying in right relationship with the Earth and the elements. Don’t ask an Indigenous person what a dance means. Enjoy the dances in silence, watch them from a place of respect and appreciation. Don’t applaud at the end of a dance. If you notice a need arising in yourself to know or understand what’s happening, take that as an opportunity for a moment of mindfulness – you don’t need to know. You just need to be present.

• Do not take photos or video of dances under any circumstances. Some Pueblos will specify that you should not take out your phone (camera) during a feast day. Take this warning seriously – tribal police may confiscate your phone if you bring it out in violation of this rule.

• If you are invited into a home to take part in a meal, graciously accept the invitation. There’s usually a large table set up with bowls of delicious food (which may include venison green chile stew, calabacitas, posole, corn bread) and chairs all around. Find a place to sit and serve yourself, keeping in mind that many people may be waiting out the door. When you finish your meal, don’t linger but thank your host and make room for the next person. Help to keep things moving. The food is freely offered, and it’s not appropriate to offer money or a tip for this generosity.

• Do not bring alcohol or drugs onto the Pueblo.

You can find a comprehensive guide to etiquette here from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

Feast Days Summer 2025

Here are some of the feast days happening during summer months:

July 14 St. Bonaventure Feast Day: Cochiti Pueblo, Annual Feast Day. Corn Dance.

July 25 Santiago Feast Day: Taos Pueblo, Corn Dance.

July 26 St. Anne Feast Day
Santa Ana Pueblo: Annual Feast Day
Taos Pueblo: Corn Dance
Laguna Pueblo: Harvest Dance & Various Dances at Seama Village

July 28 Pojoaque Pueblo: Summer Feast Day, Comanche Dance and Various Dances

August 2 St. Persingula Feast Day: Jemez Pueblo, Annual Feast Day, Corn Dance

August 4 St. Dominic Feast Day: Santo Domingo Pueblo, Annual Feast Day. Corn Dances.

August 8 Picuris Pueblo: San Lorenzo Vespers & Sunset Dances.

August 10
Anniversary of Pueblo Revolt of 1680
San Lorenzo Feast Day
Picuris Pueblo: Annual Feast Day, Ceremonial Foot Race, Pole Climb, and Traditional Dances.
Acoma Pueblo: Various Dances at Acomita Village.

August 12 Santa Clara Feast Day: Santa Clara Pueblo, Annual Feast Day. Buffalo, Harvest or Corn Dance.

August 28 St. Augustine Feast Day: Isleta Pueblo, Annual Feast Day. Morning Mass, Procession, Various Dances.

For a full list of feast days and other celebrations throughout the year, visit this page on the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center website. It’s a good idea to call the Pueblo a day or two before feast day to confirm. While visitors are generally welcome, sometimes there may be extenuating circumstances such as a death in the community that result in the Pueblo being closed to the public. This page provides contact info for all 19 Pueblos in New Mexico.

Wish you were here!

Postcards from New Mexico Bookshelf!

If you’re planning a visit to New Mexico or if you want to learn more about the history and culture of the place, I’ve put together a bookshelf on Bookshop.org, a good alternative to Amazon. Bookshop sales support authors and independent bookstores. I have an affiliate account with Bookshop and if you purchase a book through the links on this page, I receive a small percentage of the sale — so you’re also supporting me and Postcards from New Mexico!